Bold Warning Owaisi: Waqf Bill Could Ignite Social Unrest!

Delhi - In a fervent address in the Lok Sabha, Asaduddin Owaisi, chief of the All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM), cautioned the government that the Waqf (Amendment) Bill, 2024, in its current form, could lead to social instability in India. He emphasized that the bill has been rejected by the entire Muslim community and warned that its implementation would take the country back to the 1980s and early 1990s.

The Waqf (Amendment) Bill, 2024, seeks to introduce reforms aimed at improving the management and transparency of Waqf properties. Proposed changes include digitization, stricter audits, and legal mechanisms to reclaim illegally occupied properties.

However, the bill has faced significant opposition. Opposition Members of Parliament (MPs) have raised concerns over the alleged expunction of key portions of their dissent notes submitted to the Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC) scrutinizing the bill. They allege that the committee ignored representations from stakeholders and submissions from opposition members.

In response, the JPC chairperson refuted these allegations, stating that the committee's conclusions were based on a broad range of consultations and that any expunged content was due to unparliamentary remarks.